Chapter 1704
Midnight.
Not sure what time it is.
Dong Xuebing seemed to hear a crying sound, whimpering. He didn"t pay much attention, mainly because he was too used to living alone and was extremely sleepy. He turned over and continued sleeping. However, he felt like someone quickly crawled from the covers beside him. He also heard the hurried sound of slippers and a door opening. He slept for several hours straight, and when he finally opened his eyes, it was already light outside.
Morning.
Dong Xuebing stretched lazily, yawned, and sat up, still not quite awake. He just wondered how he ended up sleeping in the eastern room until he caught sight of the sticky condom lying on the floor. Only then did Dong Xuebing start to wake up a bit. He remembered that he had slept with Luo Haiting last night and that his daughter was still in the master bedroom on the left. Sweat, he had completely forgotten about sleeping. That crying last night must have been from Xiao Qianqian. Dong Xuebing realized belatedly, slapped himself on the forehead, and cursed himself a bit. He didn"t act like a father at all. As soon as he was done with Sister Luo, he forgot everything.
Getting dressed.
Putting on pants.
Dong Xuebing rushed into the opposite room barefoot without putting on his slippers. He pushed open the door and was surprised to see Luo Haiting breastfeeding Xiao Qianqian.
Not with a bottle.
But by opening her clothes to breastfeed.
Dong Xuebing stared in astonishment, "Sister Luo."
"Awake now," Luo Haiting smiled slightly and turned her body slightly away, avoiding Dong Xuebing"s gaze at her neckline.
Dong Xuebing said speechlessly, "You still have milk?"
Luo Haiting replied, "What milk?"
"Then why are you feeding Qianqian?" Dong Xuebing saw his daughter enjoying herself while nursing.
Luo Haiting smiled wryly, "I just finished feeding her with a bottle, but this little one is used to mother"s milk and always wants to suckle a bit. There"s nothing I can do, so I let her suckle." With that, Sister Luo yawned wearily, her eyes showing signs of fatigue.
Dong Xuebing said, "You were up in the middle of the night."
Luo Haiting nodded, "The little one wet herself, so I changed her diaper. After sleeping for too long, she wouldn"t sleep anymore, so I played with her for a while."
Dong Xuebing sighed, "Look at the trouble this caused. I should have been taking care of the child. Instead, I let you struggle all night. Sorry, Sister Luo."
Luo Haiting smiled, "It"s okay. I like kids, too."
At this moment, Xiao Qianqian saw her dad and immediately stopped nursing Luo Haiting. She giggled and eagerly reached out, calling, "Daddy, Daddy!"
Every time he heard this, Dong Xuebing felt his heart melt. He smiled, picked up his daughter, and casually glanced at Luo Haiting"s half-exposed chest and partially unb.u.t.toned bra. He coughed, averted his gaze, and said to his daughter, "Look at you causing trouble for Auntie Luo. Naughty girl, you already know how to bother people. Thank you, Auntie Luo, regardless of whether she understands."
Luo Haiting smiled and leaned in close. "Give Aunt Luo a kiss."
Xiao Qianqian blinked her big eyes at her, unmoved.
Dong Xuebing picked up the child and maneuvered her in front of Luo Haiting"s face.
At a glance, Xiao Qianqian obediently kissed Luo Haiting"s cheek. This delighted Luo Haiting, who kept patting Xiao Qianqian"s little head. Finally, she even kissed the little one"s chubby cheek. But Xiao Qianqian was capricious; she was cooing "nurse" to Luo Haiting. However, with her father"s arrival, she no longer recognized Aunt Luo, immediately crawling into her father"s arms, ignoring Aunt Luo.
"Daddy."
"Hey."
"Yaya."
"Haha, look how cute."
Dong Xuebing was overjoyed, showering his daughter with kisses.
Luo Haiting smiled and said, "I"ve changed her diaper and fed her. I even cleaned her up a bit when I had a moment. I don"t think there"s anything left to do, so I"ll head to work first."
Dong Xuebing politely said, "Let"s go together."
"That"s not necessary." Luo Haiting declined and left.
Dong Xuebing knew he should avoid suspicion; they couldn"t ride to work together every time. So he carried Qianqian out to see her off, saying, "Thanks again yesterday, Sister Luo."
"Don"t mention it. If you need anything, just let me know." Luo Haiting added, "I may not be able to help with other things, but I"m okay with looking after a child."
Around eight o"clock.
Dong Xuebing let Xiao Qianqian play in the room while he went to the kitchen to make breakfast. Concerned about his daughter, he prepared just two eggs and mixed a bowl of milk powder that Sister Luo had bought for Qianqian. He hurried back to the room and was about to start eating. Qianqian was mischievous; her liveliness was evident even when she couldn"t walk well. Now that she could walk and even run a little, her energy was even more apparent. When Dong Xuebing took to eat breakfast, Qianqian ran around the room four or five times, full of vitality. Like any child, her curiosity was intense. When she saw the stove she hadn"t seen before, Qianqian reached out to touch it. Dong Xuebing, seeing this, was so startled that he spit out the milk in his mouth, hastily rus.h.i.+ng over to grab his daughter.
"What are you doing?"
"Yaya."
"Don"t touch it. It"s hot and could burn you."
"Yayayaya."
"Hey, Daddy will scold you if you don"t listen."
Qianqian insisted on touching it, causing Dong Xuebing to furrow his brow in irritation. He didn"t dare touch the stove; he"d researched it extensively online.
Qianqian persisted, and seeing her father upset, her eyes welled up with tears. She pouted, and with a cry of "wuwuwuwu," she started sobbing.
Dong Xuebing was at a loss. He had wanted to comfort his daughter, but he felt now wasn"t the time. After all, safety was paramount. If he ignored this, it could lead to more significant problems in the future. He needed to make her understand, to scare her enough that she wouldn"t dare touch such things again. Otherwise, Dong Xuebing would constantly worry as a father if his daughter didn"t learn her lesson.
"Stop crying," Dong Xuebing said sternly, pointing at the stove. "You"re not allowed to touch this thing anymore. Do you understand? It can burn your hands badly."
But Xiao Qianqian continued to cry loudly.
Dong Xuebing raised his hand as if to scold her. "I"ll spank you."
Xiao Qianqian immediately ran off, ignoring her father.
Of course, Dong Xuebing couldn"t bear to spank his daughter; he cherished her too much. He hurried to catch up and lifted her, saying, "Look at you, not listening. Daddy is doing this for your good. You can"t touch that thing, and also these power strips, like this one. You must stay far away from them."
Xiao Qianqian was angry, turning her head away and ignoring him.
"This child," Dong Xuebing sighed helplessly. "Daddy loves you so much, yet you"re angry with Daddy. It"s all because your mother spoils you. Oh, Yunxuan."
"Yaya," Xiao Qianqian reached out and pulled her father"s beard.
Dong Xuebing chuckled. "Oh, speaking ill of Mommy, huh?"
"Yaya yaya," Xiao Qianqian, in a hurry, grabbed her father"s clothes, clearly upset.
Dong Xuebing smiled wryly. It was just something he said, and he knew Yunxuan was much better at educating children than he was. Plus, he hadn"t been around the child much lately; Xiao Qianqian"s growth was primarily thanks to Yunxuan. Dong Xuebing knew Aunt Xuan had it tough; it was surprising how quickly Xiao Qianqian seemed to understand his words. She might not express herself well, but Dong Xuebing knew he had to be more careful with what he said in the future.
Not yet nine o"clock.
The office, the compound.
Naturally, Dong Xuebing couldn"t leave his daughter alone at home. He had just taken on a new position and couldn"t take a week off. So he had to bring his daughter along. However, on the way there, Xiao Qianqian was still upset with Dong Xuebing, pouting the entire time. Dong Xuebing drove with one hand on the steering wheel and tried to coax her with the other, but Qianqian ignored him. This little one knew how to hold a grudge.
Dong Xuebing could only smile wryly. When they arrived and exited the car, he ran into several colleagues heading to work.
"Director Dong."
"Good morning."
"Oh, a baby!"
"So adorable! Who is this?"
Han Fei"s eyes lit up with great affection as she approached, reaching out to play with the baby in Director Dong"s arms. "Good girl, why are you so cute?"
Zhang Lili also walked over. "She"s so beautiful; she"ll grow up to be even more beautiful."
Yin Cheng"an also got out of the car. "Hey, Director Dong, whose child is this? I thought you had a son."
Dong Xuebing was pleased and introduced proudly, "This is my G.o.ddaughter, Qianqian. Her mother is on a business trip, so I"m looking after her. Isn"t she beautiful? Haha, Han, don"t touch her randomly."
Han Fei was utterly charmed. "I just want to touch her a little."
Qianqian inherited Quxuan"s beauty completely. She did not resemble Dong Xuebing at all and was incredibly attractive. When Dong Xuebing used to bring her to work, she was loved by everyone and very popular.
Dong Xuebing was satisfied as he introduced Qianqian to everyone.
Xiao Qianqian ignored her father but was interested in other uncles and aunts. She wasn"t shy and giggled at everyone who approached, reaching out with her chubby hands to touch them, which was adorable.
They went upstairs.
Everyone returned to their respective offices.
As soon as they entered, Han Fei eagerly said, "Director Dong, let me hold Qianqian. I love children so much; she"s too cute. Let me hold her for a bit."
Dong Xuebing frowned. "Just be careful not to drop her."
"Oh, don"t worry," Han Fei a.s.sured him. "I won"t. You have more important things to do. I"ll take care of her."
Dong Xuebing couldn"t relax completely, but after thinking about it, he handed Qianqian over to her, reminding her repeatedly. Being a father was never easy.